'The club is Bangladesh': New hockey coach Gerhard’s selection mantra

Bangladesh hockey coach Peter Gerhard wants to pick the final squad based on positions rather than reputations or clubs as the national team prepare for next month’s Asian Games in Japan with a training tour of Germany.

Since arriving in Dhaka on Friday, the 78-year-old German coach has assessed all 38 players, including six senior players called up recently, through several match simulations. The national team, split into two groups, played a six-quarter match against the Bangladesh U-20 team at Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

“I select by positions, not by names and not by clubs. For me, the club is Bangladesh. So, I don't care which club it is or who is supporting whom. I look at my players and see how many I need,” Gerhard said when asked about selection for the Germany tour.

“I need three deep defenders, four midfielders, three backs and four forwards, just as an example. That’s the way I’m looking. I’m not looking for names,” he added.

The exclusion of senior players such as Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Pushkor Kisha Mimo and Nayeem Uddin had raised questions over the previous ad-hoc committee’s selection, prompting the newly appointed committee to give six experienced players a chance to prove themselves in camp. Those players joined on Saturday and featured in the trial matches over the last three days.

“I can't tell you whom I see before we announce. We will sit together and decide who will go to Germany. It’s not about saying this one was good. The unfair story would be to say the six were not fit or did not do what the others did. But they could show their skills and understanding of the game. That’s how we have to measure it,” Gerhard said.

The veteran coach has prioritised match practice over extensive tactical and technical sessions, with an 18-20-member squad set to leave for Germany on August 12 for a month-long tour. They are expected to play around 16 matches against club teams and national sides before returning home on September 10.

“Look, a match is like practice for me. This is a practice hour. So, we are practising two or three times a day. We continue that until the end. When I do it the right way, they will not be exhausted; they will be very fit, and we go like we want. There’s no reason to say 16 matches is too much. It’s not too much; it’s more or less the same,” Gerhard said, adding that his target is to finish fifth or sixth at the Asian Games.